1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plant containers, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to a drain insert positionable in a vertically disposed drain hole formed in a bottom portion of a plant container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
House plants are customarily maintained in containers or receptacles, such as terracotta pots. Typically, the plant containers are provided with a central, vertically extending drain hole in their bottom portions in order to provide proper drainage of excess water and moisture from the growth medium. However, growth medium is often lost through the drain hole of the containers when the plant is watered. Thus, when first potting a plant, horticulturists generally recommend that an object, such as large gravel or similar materials, be placed in the bottom of the containers so as to cover the drain hole and thereby restrict potting medium loss, while still providing the desired drainage.
Drain inserts for plant containers have heretofore been proposed by the prior art. In an effort to overcome the problem of potting medium loss through the drain hole of a container, without sacrificing the desired drainage characteristics of the container, the prior art has proposed various types of drain inserts. Representative of such prior art is the plant pot drain disclosed in Shaw, U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,883. The Shaw plant pot drain device has a perforated cylindrical body, a radially extending disc connected to a lower end portion of the perforated cylindrical body and an imperforate cylindrical member connected to the disc for aligning and stabilizing the device in the drain hole of the pot or container. Thus, the Shaw drain device is relatively complex in structure and it extends upwardly into the container which could conceivably interfere with the growth of the root system of a potted plant.
A need exists for a drain insert for use with plant containers which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, has a relatively low profile and which can be maintained in a stable, covering position relative to the drain hole of a container so as to provide proper drainage while preventing the loss of potting medium through the drain hole. It is to such a drain insert that the present invention is directed.